In addition to helping his team advance to the quarterfinals in the Mountain East Conference tournament today and celebrating his 22nd birthday, Pilgrim managed a 13-point performance against Concord to record his 1,000th career point.

Pilgrim's family will make the trip to Charleston to see the team play this afternoon against Glenville in the Mountain East Conference quarterfinals as his games as a Ram are coming to an end.

Pilgrim and the Rams don't want their season to come to a quick end, however.

Among the ranked teams in the region, Shepherd is in position to advance to the NCAA postseason. More wins in the tournament will be vital.

His milestone point came on a 3-pointer early in the first half against Concord, putting the Rams ahead 16-13. Pilgrim was stuck just points away for two games before he reached the milemarker.

"He was 10 points away two games ago. I was nervous he wasn't going to get it," Shepherd coach Justin Namolik said, joking it would've been something if Pilgrim got stuck just points away.

"My last two games were just not the best," Pilgrim admitted.

Namolik said Pilgrim reached the impressive amount because he played a consistent game for the Rams over the years.

Pilgrim agreed.

"It's consistency because coach stresses consistency," Pilgrim said. "You'll get results if you put the work in."

Pilgrim, on the other hand, credited his teammates for helping him get there.

"They all kept me going," he said.

Pilgrim noted that teammate Brantley Osborne would always call him up and make him go practice shooting when the team wasn't scheduled to practice. He said because Osborne is such a force on offense, he helped Pilgrim become a better player.

Scoring wasn't always a big deal for Pilgrim, who ranks in the top six on the team in points, average points, 3-point percentage and 3-pointers made.

"In high school, I was not a big scorer," Pilgrim said. "My thing was always defense."

Going into the game against Concord, Pilgrim was fifth in both points and average points with 10.4 per game, sixth in 3-point percentage with 31.1 percent and second in 3-pointers made with a 1.5 average per game.

The long list of reasons to celebrate Tuesday didn't mean as much to Pilgrim as helping his team.

"Points are only for me," he said, adding it's so much more satisfying for him to walk into the locker room knowing all his teammates are winners, not just him.

He's happier to celebrate with teammates he considers brothers rather than an individual accomplishment.

Gloria couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she explained how much her son and family love the Shepherd basketball team and the great experiences at the school.

No matter what happened on the court, Pilgrim always had someone in his corner.

"We may be crazy fans up in the stands," Gloria said with a laugh, "but he knows we'll always be there to support him."

As Pilgrim's final homestand wrapped up, he shared the excitement with a group of friends and family in the hall. Instead of talking about his own accomplishments, Pilgrim was happy to share the spotlight as he gushed about the how cool the poster his family made for him was.